My eyes are hazel in colour and my skin is fairly light with the subtlest olive-y undertone. As for my under eye area, well, it's greyish blue. Always has been, always will be for the rest of my days. And how should a girl combat this oft-shared strife? With concealer my friend! The sort which blends well, dries down with a nice finish and one that doesn't find fine lines or wrinkles.
Seriously, who wants pockets of concealer?

I, for one, do not.

Swatch

For every day wear, I look for makeup that's easy and quick to apply; I just want to do and not have to think. Plus, I'm lucky if I even catch a glimpse of my own mug mid-day in order to reassess the sitch of things. My war paint needs to last until dinnertime and look good to boot.

Maestro has conducted a beautiful symphony, it just took me a few days to compose a beautiful song. You see, I hit Armani's counter on a Wednesday to purchase Maestro and by Friday I knew something wasn't right. And that's when I had my "a-ha" moment; coincidentally I caught my face in the mirror whilst being hit by direct sunlight. The shade I originally purchased, shade no. 4, appeared orange on me.

That very Saturday I returned to my local Armani counter in order to exchange the incorrectly prescribed hue for a better match. The salesperson (we'll call her "Red Lips", because that's what she was wearing on her smacker) I first encountered was nice about the whole thing, but the manager got super-pissy; he demanded to know who helped me and asked if I was ever colour matched. First, he could've checked the receipt instead of putting me on the spot and second, I wasn't colour matched because the original salesperson claimed shade no. 4 would be perfect for me. Boy, was she wrong.

Super-Puss walked away after agreeing to sign off on the exchange; but before that he muttered something about the formula being different and how it must be tried on every client before each potential purchase. Finally, after finishing his awkward tirade, he allowed Red Lips to finish the transaction. As I walked away, Red Lips told me to check out the Maestro foundation, so I did.

That's when it all came tumbling down, as I reached for a sample of what I purchased, Super-Puss turned to me and said "you can't return that." Ultimately, it was the look he gave me, the fact that he purposefully turned away from a customer he was helping and the tone he took with me. I felt so small, so stupid and so over the customer service, or lack thereof, in both David Jones and Myer.

Super-Puss: you undid the great customer service I received a few weeks before. By the way, you never colour matched me and said "oh, you're definitely a five!"

And now I digress.

In terms of consistency, Maestro has a tendency to be on the runny side; I suggest you gently shake the tube before each application. Surprisingly you don't need much either -- one full drop should suffice for each eye. I like to place a drop on my right ring finger and blend the product out. If I find that I need a bit more coverage, I'll squeeze out the tiniest amount and tap until blended.

Armani's new formula claims the following:

"A new hybrid concealer category combining skincare and makeup, with an incomparably fine texture. A therapeutic and illuminating concealer that instantly brightens the eye area, gradually fades away the blue tone of dark circles, and moisturizes eyelids to enhance the eyes and radiance of the face. The eye area glows, and the complexion's natural radiance is revived."

I haven't noticed any fading in my under eye area, but it's still early days. At least I get budge-proof coverage!

Maestro is available in six shades, just make sure you get colour matched ;)

A Melbourne-based beauty blogger who considers herself as a local guinea
pig, litmus tester, makeup cheater and your friend who will tell you when
something is stuck between your teeth. Here's a toothpick.

Bagful of Notions

Nicole is a Melbourne (Australia) based beauty blogger who has a lifetime of experience admiring all things bright and beautiful in the world of fashion, makeup, handbags and more. She moved to Australia with her husband Scott in October of 2010 and has brought with her a passion for polka-dots, a mania for manicures, and a hankering for handbags. Bagful of Notions is dedicated to Nicole's adventures in these colourful worlds as she shares with you top beauty tips and delicious discoveries she's sure you'll enjoy!

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Nicole

A Melbourne-based beauty blogger and personal makeup shopper who considers herself as a local guinea pig, litmus tester, makeup cheater and your friend who will tell you when something is stuck between your teeth. Here's a toothpick.